Ultramicroscopic Changes in the Endometrial Cells of Spontaneous Adenocarcinoma of Rabbits23

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Among 69 aged female rabbits of the Dutch breed, 9 malignant tumors of the endometrium were found during an observation period of 30 months: 8 adenocarcinomas, 1 of which showed distant metastasis, and 1 leiomyosarcoma with lung metastasis. In the electron microscopic studies of the endometrium, the carcinoma cells appeared “dedifferentiated” and showed no cilia or secretory granules. The resemblance between the deep glandular cells in the atrophic endometrium and the cells in the spontaneous in situ or invasive adenocarcinoma was striking, particularly in regard to the reduction of the cytoplasmic organelles. The course of spontaneous carcinogenesis seemed quite different from that of chemical carcinogenesis. In the latter process, marked alterations were recognized in the ultrastructures that were not seen in the preinvasive or premalignant phases of spontaneous adenocarcinoma. These observations suggest that spontaneous carcinogenesis is associated with tissue senescence, whereas chemical induction of adenocarcinoma is more related to chemical tissue injury.

This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit: